We brought The Bulletin Editorial Board’s Official Applause Meter — the editorial writer’s smartphone — to hear the discussion of state Sen. Tim Knopp and state Reps. Emerson Levy and Jason Kropf, hosted last week by the Bend Chamber of Commerce.
And what registered the highest, was not when the legislators discussed policy, though that did have a favorable reception. What earned the most applause was when they talked about what drove them to enter public service. So we thought you might like to read what they said.
“I kind of got the bug from my grandfather who was the mayor of Pendleton back in the 1960s-1970s,” Knopp, a Bend Republican, said. “He was kind of like a big, Boss Hog in a small town….”
“He had a big cowboy hat. He was a huge man and he had this big Lincoln,” Knopp continued. “It was literally like the TV show. He would have me and my brother…, we would get to tour the local jail and sit in the fire trucks and all that kind of stuff. He would take us out and he would talk about how this is what you do: You bring air travel to your city and you improve the sidewalks. He was generally conservative but in his campaign literature he talked about: ‘For a progressive community.’ Progressive really meant that we were expanding opportunities and infrastructure. That’s what he focused on. Those are the things that started to drive me….”
Levy, a Democrat who represents parts of Bend, Redmond and more, said: “I would agree with the good senator, much is given, much is required,” a paraphrase from the Bible.
“For me it started out when my daughter was really young and I went to her preschool,” she said. She was concerned about the security. “And I just got a bug: That’s not right. We can work on that. And I just kept working on that until I guess I got here.”
“I believe in public service,” she added. “I love it. This is the happiest job I have ever had. I am not your typical politician. I am more of an introvert. Pretty quiet. I don’t like a lot of attention. But I love the work. And it really drives me and I love the community. I grew up in a pretty tough circumstance and I am lucky that I was able to get out of it and do pretty well. I believe that getting a Pell grant (financial aid for low-income students), having a community around me, really helped me. And I think that’s what draws me to public service….”
“And the money,” she joked.
“I was a public defender, a deputy district attorney for 20 plus years,” Kropf, a Bend Democrat said. And I did a lot of work in the juvenile system and foster kids and foster care. Some of the most gut-wrenching stories, some of the most heart-wrenching stories. People stepping up to take care of kids in their homes, adopting kids.”
“I had one case that really stood out to me,” Kropf continued. “This young man I prosecuted multiple times.... He got into some pretty serious trouble right about his 18th birthday. We came up with this really creative solution for accountability, but gave him an opportunity to move forward….”
The judge asked the young man what he wanted.
“I knew this kid had struggled with addiction,” Kropf said. “I knew he had dropped out of high school. What he said: I really want to be a parent to my daughter. I didn’t realize he had a kid. And at the time, my daughter was 3 or 4. I could help thinking how much in common he and I had. Like that same basic, primary directive to be fathers to our daughters. Part of me thought that I really want to work in a space where I can make my community safe, hold this young man accountable, and give him an opportunity to be successful. But I also want to work in a space where I can help take care of his daughter. And I feel like I get that opportunity in the Legislature.”
Those are their three tales of motivation for public service. All worthy of applause.
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.